Architectural historian Robert Bruegmann to headline UT Arlington's Second Annual David Dillon Symposium

Chicago architecture historian and critic Robert Bruegmann, a provocative
figure in urban design, headlines UT Arlington’s Second Annual David Dillon
Symposium scheduled April 18-19 in Dallas.

Proceeds benefit the
David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture, which was established in
2012 as an initiative of the UT Arlington School of Architecture to
honor the legacy of the longtime architecture critic for The Dallas
Morning News. Symposium sponsors include the Dallas Architecture Forum,
The Dallas Morning News, Dallas Center for Architecture and Nasher
Sculpture Center.

Bruegmann is author of the 2006 book “Sprawl, A
Compact History” and is a contrarian of note in the architecture world. A
professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he argues
that sprawl is a market-driven phenomenon with a long and rich history
dating to the Roman Empire.

Don Gatzke, dean of the UT Arlington
School of Architecture, said the symposium provides a form for the
discussion of important, difficult ideas like the ones Bruegmann
offers, ideas that
might counter the conventional wisdom and expand the understanding of
complex
issues.

“Most in the development, design and architecture sectors
see sprawl as something of a dirty word,” Gatzke said. “Bruegmann is
provocative and controversial. I’m sure we’ll have great debate.”

Bruegmann
is to speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at the Magnolia Theater, 3699
McKinney Ave., in Dallas. The symposium continues from 11:15 a.m. to
4:45 p.m. Friday, April 19, at the Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora
St., in Dallas with a reception with speakers following at 5 p.m. at the
Dallas Center for Architecture.

The symposium will bring in
additional experts in urbanism, technology and social media, including
Philadelphia-based Diana Lind, executive editor of the innovative
longform journalism site Next City. Andrew Blum, the author of the
recent Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet will speak about
the ways the Internet shapes and responds to city form. A book signing
will take place during the symposium.

The
Dillon Center supports the research of faculty and students as they
investigate how the region and its architecture have evolved. It also
promotes public dialogue about architecture and urbanism in North Texas
and beyond.

Dillon’s family has donated his meticulous notes,
manuscripts and recorded interviews about Texas architecture and
architectural journalism itself to UT Arlington. He died in 2010.

Kate
Holliday, an architectural historian and director of the David Dillon
Center, said early sessions scheduled Friday focus on the urban
landscape in Dallas and Fort Worth. The afternoon session will focus on
the information infrastructure and digital connectivity in the built
environment, she said.

About The University of Texas at Arlington and the School of Architecture

The
University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research
institution of more than 33,800 students and 2,200 faculty members in
the heart of North Texas and the second largest member of The University
of Texas System. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more.